Huayu: This director is so eager to improve.

Episode 52: The Electric Network War

Temperatures are rising today.

Downstairs in the inpatient building, the winter sun brought a long-lost warmth.

Qi Yue was dressed in simple casual clothes, carrying a small duffel bag, and his complexion was rosier than when he was admitted to the hospital.

He was picked up by Bai Mengyan, the studio's assistant. She had a round face and big eyes. Although she was a bit clumsy, she had a cheerful look.

Indeed, good looks are the primary driving force.

She drove an old Jetta from the workshop today. When she saw Qi Yue come out, she quickly jumped out of the driver's seat and hurriedly tried to take the luggage.

"Boss! Over here!"

Bai Mengyan smiled nervously and almost dropped the luggage when she took it.

The car started and slowly drove out of the hospital.

Qi Yue leaned back in the back seat, closing his eyes to rest. He had just thought that although his assistant was reckless, he was still quite reliable when he felt the car suddenly lurch to a halt, accompanied by a piercing screech of brakes!

"Meow--!"

A mournful meow came from in front of the car.

Qi Yue leaned forward to steady himself and opened his eyes to look ahead.

A startled stray cat darted across the front of the car, a near miss.

"I'm so sorry, boss!"

Bai Mengyan turned pale with fright, gripping the steering wheel tightly with both hands, her chest heaving violently, looking more like a frightened animal than a cat.

"I...I didn't see it clearly...it suddenly ran out..."

Qi Yue glanced at her pale profile and slightly trembling hands, then straightened the cushion that had slipped off.

"It's okay, just be careful. Xiaobai probably hasn't been driving for very long."

"I just got my driver's license last week."

???

Is Guo Fan any reliable? He just got discharged from the hospital and sent a dangerous road hazard to pick him up. Is he planning to send him back to jail?

But he asked aloud:

"Is Xiaobai from Jiangnan?"

"Changzhou."

"You're a freshman this year? Don't you guys usually have many classes?"

"I'm studying at a junior college, and as long as I ask my teacher for leave, I'm fine."

"Oh, I see. So, what made you decide to interview for an assistant position at our studio?"

While waiting at the traffic light, Bai Mengyan hesitated for a moment.

"Director Qi, to be honest, I initially thought our studio was recruiting artists. I applied as soon as I saw the job posting. I was thinking, 'What film company recruits artists so easily?' I was secretly pleased when I passed the interview, but then I found out I was doing assistant work..."

"..."

Okay, does this girl have such a big heart?

"If you knew you were doing the work of an assistant, why did you continue doing it?"

"I never thought I'd be doing this for so long, but as I kept going, I found it quite interesting."

"Don't you want to be an entertainer anymore?"

"...Actually, I do want to, but I've also figured it out. There are tons of people like me in the capital. It's not that easy to get ahead. I'll just wait for my chance. Anyway, I'm still young."

In 2012, before social media became as developed as it is today, almost every girl with a bit of looks dreamed of becoming a star, especially a movie star.

Therefore, it's easy to see why so many people are eager to become directors.

Qi Yue coughed lightly and continued his unhurried conversation with Bai Mengyan.

"How was the response to 'Day and Night' when it was released last week? Did Producer Guo say anything to you?"

Mentioning "White Night" did indeed distract Bai Mengyan somewhat, and she became less nervous.

"Coach Guo has been so busy these past few days! His phone hasn't stopped ringing! But it's all good news!"

Her tone was filled with pride and excitement.

"Since its release, 'White Night' has seen phenomenal success! The ratings on Gansu TV are rising every day, and I heard it's even broken 2! The online viewership is even more astonishing; it's featured prominently on Tencent Video's homepage, and there are also many recommendations on Youku! It even has a Douban rating of 8.9!"

She knew them all like the back of her hand, clearly having paid close attention to them:

"There's so much discussion on Weibo! Teacher Pan, Teacher Duan, and Sister Li Qing have all been trending on Weibo multiple times! And so many people are praising you, Director, saying your camerawork is amazing and your pacing is phenomenal!"

Qi Yue listened without any particular expression on his face, only nodding slightly.

All of this was within his expectations; in fact, it could be said that failure would have been a failure if he hadn't achieved this result.

"However..." Bai Mengyan's tone suddenly became hesitant.

"Coach Guo seems to be having a lot of trouble lately... He said that the TV station and the website seem to be... locked in a power struggle?"

"Competing?" Qi Yue raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Yes! It's about scheduling and promotion."

Bai Mengyan tried hard to recall the contents of Guo Fan's phone call.

"It seems that Gansu TV suddenly increased the broadcast from two episodes a day to three episodes a day, which is very fast. Then Tencent Video is not happy about this. Although they are broadcasting it, they also want to do their own special programs and events. It seems that the two sides are... somewhat competing with each other. They are both approaching Director Guo, trying to get more exclusive materials or cooperation in promotion. Director Guo is caught in the middle and dares not offend either side. He is becoming a sandwich."

Qi Yue understood. This was a battle between two companies for the traffic and discourse power brought by "White Night," a typical struggle for profit distribution and dominance.

Television stations want to lock in viewers and solidify the value of their broadcasting channels through intensive broadcasts; websites, on the other hand, want to leverage interactivity and flexibility to convert the popularity of dramas into growth in platform users and memberships.

As a content provider, "Tongfan" has been thrust into the spotlight.

As he was pondering this, the car slowly approached the old residential building where the studio was located.

From a distance, Qi Yue could see two high-end cars parked downstairs that seemed out of place with the surrounding environment.

One was a black Audi A6 with a license plate from a provincial TV station; the other was a gleaming Mercedes-Benz S-Class with a license plate from the location of Tencent.

Qi Yue's brows immediately furrowed.

These two "masters" actually came to block the entrance of their studio?

Bai Mengyan kept going in and out of the parking space, but couldn't get it in for ages. Her face was flushed with anxiety.

"Director Qi, why don't you get out of the car first?"

Qi Yuebei unbuckled his seatbelt, and just as his hand touched the doorknob, the studio door was pushed open from the inside with a "bang".

Immediately afterwards, a large group of people surged out.

The two men leading the group were middle-aged and well-dressed, but their complexions were not good.

One was carrying a briefcase, and the other was clutching a cell phone.

Behind them followed their respective assistants and entourages, their faces showing varying degrees of displeasure.

And squeezed in the middle of this group of people was Guo Fan.

He wore a professional yet awkward smile, trying to shield the two sides from a potential verbal conflict with his body.

"Director Wang, General Manager Li, please calm down. Let's discuss this further... Director Qi hasn't fully recovered yet; the doctor recommends rest... Yes, yes, I'll let you both know as soon as I have any news... I promise, I promise..."

But neither side seemed to accept this, and Director Wang from the TV station raised his voice several decibels:

"Coach Guo, this isn't about resting or not! This is a matter of principle! Our station gave you the best time slot, and now that the ratings are soaring, you should fully cooperate with our station's promotional schedule! What's with your underhanded tactics with the websites?"

The website's CEO, Mr. Li, was equally defiant, his tone cold and hard:

"Director Wang, you can't say that. Cooperation is a two-way street. Our platform has also invested a lot of resources in promotion. The success of 'White Night' is the result of the combined efforts of many parties. As a content provider, Tongfan should consider broader cooperation possibilities, rather than being bound to a single channel."

The two exchanged words, and the tension gradually escalated.

Guo Fan was caught in the middle, caught in a dilemma, and his smile was almost gone.

I could only repeatedly assure them, in a more earnest tone, that I would communicate and coordinate.

Qi Yue sat in the car, watching this scene coldly through the car window.

The sounds of arguing could be faintly heard, though not clearly, but the tense atmosphere was palpable.

Qi Yue sat up straight again, even leaning back in his seat, and whispered to Bai Mengyan, who was still struggling with the steering wheel in the front row:

"Don't pour it. Turn it off first, and we'll talk about it after they leave."